How to Make Your Own Jenny Craig Diet

by
SARAH DAVIS Last Updated: Jul 18, 2017

Sarah Davis

Sarah Davis has worked in nutrition in the clinical setting and currently works as a licensed Realtor in California. Davis began writing about nutrition in 2006 and had two chapters published in "The Grocery Store Diet" book in 2009. She enjoys writing about nutrition and real estate and managing her website, RealtorSD.com. She earned her bachelor's degree in nutrition from San Diego State University.

A woman is preparing a healthy meal in her kitchen.Photo Credit moodboard/moodboard/Getty Images

The Jenny Craig weight loss program is a successful weight loss method which has been around for years. Jenny Craig is not only a diet with pre-packaged foods, it has two very important other components which are nutritional support and counseling and exercise (see reference 1). Instead of paying high prices for Jenny Craig foods and counseling, you can save a lot of money by making your own diet similar to Jenny Craig, at home.

Steps to Making Your Jenny Craig Diet

Step 1

Weigh yourself on a scale and record your weight. Then you can use your weight to determine how many calories you need to eat each day to lose weight. Find an online basal metabolic rate calculator, such as the one at www.caloriecontrolcouncil.org (See reference 2).

Step 2

Plug in with a weight loss partner, trustworthy friend or Registered Dietitian to talk with about your eating struggles and weight loss progress. Schedule at least a thirty minute meeting once every week where you can go over your meal plans, weigh yourself and talk about any nutritional and fitness difficulties you are experiencing.

Step 3

Stock up on healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains such as 100% whole wheat bread. Purchase also low fat dairy products, beans, lentils, nuts and lean meats like skinless chicken breasts and tuna canned in water. These healthy foods are often used in Jenny Craig meals, only you will be preparing your meals at home instead of buying them all prepackaged.

Step 4

Create a meal plan for the coming week which includes six small meals throughout the day, containing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products and protein foods like beans and meats. Divide the number of calories you should be eating each day by 6 meals so that you are eating approximately the same number of calories at each meal. For example, on a 1500 calorie diet, allot 250 calories to each meal. You can move calories around, making some meals smaller, like snacks and some meals bigger, like diner, if you’d like, but keep your calories in track.

Step 5

Log on to an online calorie counting website such as www.calorieking.com Enter the foods you are going to eat in your meal plans and next to the food in your food journal, record the calories of each item. Adjust your meals so that the calories add up to your target goal for each day. For instance, you may need to remove some extra foods you had planned on eating.

Step 6

Make it a habit of exercising for 30 minutes to an hour at least 5 days a week. Record your exercise along with all of your meals and their calories in your food journal every day. Continue creating weekly meal plans, at least one week in advance. Continue planning your shopping accordingly around your meal plans.